Electronic devices have become ubiquitous the past several years. The numbers and types of portable computing devices, tablets, desktops, and all-in-one computers, cell phones, smart phones, and media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors and other devices has increased tremendously, and this increase shows no signs of abating.
These devices may include several electronic components such as screens, memories, processors, and the like. These devices may be located on a board, such as printed circuit boards, flexible circuit boards, or other appropriate substrates.
Often, these boards need to be connected to each other. Unfortunately, these connections may have costs associated with them. One such cost may be the area consumed on the boards to be joined. Conventional standoffs and other structures may consume board area, thereby either decreasing the amount of functionality that may be included in the device or increasing the size of the device.
Another cost associated with these board-to-board connectors arises from the complexity of the assembly process. If a connector is difficult to assemble, it may cause operator confusion and slow an assembly line. This may lead to operator dissatisfaction and reduced throughput.
A related cost arises from the decrease in yields and increase the number of devices to be reworked or scrapped due to this operator confusion and dissatisfaction. Still another cost may arise from confusion caused by a lack of a clear indication that a connection has been properly formed. This may lead to having to more closely inspect devices to ensure that the connections have been properly made.
Thus, what is needed are board-to-board connectors that consume a minimal amount of board area, are simple to assemble, and provide a clear indication that a proper connection has been made.